


Haunted

by dreamer_98



Category: Primeval
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/F, Pre-Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 18:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1110076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamer_98/pseuds/dreamer_98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jenny invites Sarah along to investigate a creature incursion at a haunted castle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Haunted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lsellers (Annariel)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/gifts).



It was quiet around the ARC. Jenny didn’t like the quiet.

When there were anomalies to secure and creatures to contain, it kept her mind focussed. She was accustomed to remaining calm in the midst of chaos. It was being still and idle that made her uneasy. In the quiet, she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering.

She had considered quitting numerous times, but things started to improve when they brought Danny on to share the leadership responsibilities with her. He was a much-needed breath of fresh air, helping to ease the pain of the past as the team evolved into a new form. Still, Jenny couldn’t stop certain thoughts from haunting her: about Nick, about Helen, about Claudia Brown.

She was actually relieved when Lester summoned her into his office.

“I’ve just had a call from the Minister,” he began. “There have been reports of a creature roaming around the grounds of Leeds Castle. A banquet is being held there at the weekend and he’s requested we investigate immediately.”

Jenny opened the file that Lester had slid across his desk. There was a print-out of an article with the headline “Rare Sighting of Leeds Black Dog!” The source was a less than reputable news site, better known for salacious celebrity gossip and fringe conspiracy theories. The accompanying photo was a blurry shot likely taken on someone’s phone; it was possibly of a large dog, but it could be any number of things.

Jenny frowned. “This looks like a hoax. Why does the Minister want us to pursue this?”

“The organisers of the banquet are close, personal friends his,” Lester explained. “Three different people claimed to have seen the creature over the past few weeks and it’s made them nervous. They want to ensure there are no ‘unforeseen incidents.’” He rolled his eyes.

“If there were any anomalies in that area, surely we would’ve picked it up already,” Jenny reasoned.

“Perhaps, but the detector has been unreliable ever since the Helen fiasco.” Jenny winced at the memory of the explosion that had destroyed the ARC and took Nick’s life.

“Anyway,” Lester continued, “I promised the Minister we’d send a few of our soldiers to search the area. Hopefully that will appease him.”

“And you want me in charge of this?” Jenny asked.

“Yes, because quite honestly, I don’t trust Quinn. You never know when he’s going to go off half-cocked.” Lester rubbed his temples. “He’ll stay here with the others in case there’s an anomaly alert.”

Jenny crossed her arms, still concerned. “Even if we are able to find this creature, how are we going to identify it?”

“I thought about that as well,” Lester said. “Connor is working on repairs to the anomaly detector and Abby is overseeing reconstruction in the menagerie, so both of them are unavailable.” He paused. “We need someone with enough knowledge to suss out what it is and where it came from. Or _when_ it came from, in our case.”

Jenny’s lips curled into a smile. “I know just the person.”

\---

Sarah sighed as she flipped to the next page in the _Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth_.

“Interesting reading?”

Sarah turned around to see Jenny standing in the lab entryway.

“A real page-turner,” she said without a note of enthusiasm in her voice. “Honestly, even I find stories about dragons and gorgons dull after a while.”

“Sounds like you’re in need of a day trip,” Jenny said as she walked over and leaned on the desk beside her.

Sarah gave her a curious look. “What do you mean?”

“Lester’s assigned me to investigate a possible creature incursion, and I need your research expertise to help figure out what it is.”

Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”

“As much as I’d hate to tear you away from that clearly fascinating book,” Jenny teased.

Sarah slammed the book shut. “When do we leave?”

\---

It didn’t take long to prepare for the journey. Becker assigned four of his men, including Lieutenant Haken, to accompany them. The soldiers loaded one of the 4x4s while Jenny and Sarah were traveling in the containment van.

“Ready to go?” Jenny asked as they fastened their seat belts.

“I’m all set.” Sarah indicated the large stack of paper sitting in her lap. “Connor’s printed a list of possible creatures it could be. Every mammal from the Triassic to the Pliocene.”

Jenny started to engine. “It’ll be just our luck if we drive all the way there only to find out it’s someone’s missing dog,” she said.

“Or it could actually be the famous ghost that haunts the castle,” Sarah said. “Do you know the legend?”

Jenny shook her head. “Enlighten me.”

Sarah began, “Tales of a large black dog roaming around Leeds Castle began during the Middle Ages. People said it would often disappear through walls or locked doors. They believed the dog was an omen of imminent death. There’s one popular tale in particular from the late 1800s. The daughter of the family who owned the castle was sitting on a window seat when she saw the dog. She stood up to go after it, and soon after the window she had been sitting at suddenly shattered. She would’ve fallen and been buried under the debris in the moat below.”

A shiver made its way down Jenny’s spine. She knew all too well what it was like to have a near brush with death.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Sarah asked her.

“You mean the kind that float around in white sheets and shout ‘Boo’?” Jenny chuckled. “Hardly.”

“But other kinds?”

Jenny gave her a knowing look. They spent the rest of the drive in companionable silence as Sarah studied the packet of creature information.

\---

When they arrived at the castle, Jenny showed their credentials at the front gates and requested to speak to the director immediately. The director was none too pleased to be asked to close off the castle grounds to visitors, but an official order from the Minister persuaded them to comply.

The most recent report had spotted the creature near the gardens. Jenny instructed Lieutenant Haken and his men to spread out along the perimeter of the gardens so they could cover the entire area. Meanwhile, she and Sarah started their search down one of the gardens’ path. Although they were on the lookout for the creature, they couldn’t help but take in the view.

“It's beautiful here,” Sarah remarked as they walked.

Jenny hummed in agreement as she looked across the moat at the picturesque castle.

“You know, it's actually been called the most romantic castle in England,” Sarah added.

Jenny hadn't entertained the notion of romance in quite some time, not since breaking off her engagement with Mike. Despite her often confusing feelings for Nick, she was never sure if he was ever truly attracted to her or if he only seemed interested because he thought she was another version of Claudia Brown.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lieutenant Haken's voice over the radio. “We have a visual on the creature. All units report immediately to the east side.”

Jenny and Sarah rushed across the garden to where Haken and the others were overlooking a clearing. About thirty metres away the creature stood grazing. Jenny grabbed her binoculars to get a closer look.

It was around the size of an average dog, with a large, oblong body and four short, skinny legs. Its head was oval-shaped with short ears, and its paws had several hoof-like toes.

“I recognise this one,” Sarah said excitedly. “Propalaeotherium from the early Eocene. They’re ancestors of modern horses.”

Jenny continued to watch with fascination. She usually didn’t have much interaction with the creatures they encountered, preferring to leave any direct handling to Abby. But if there was one living thing she knew as well as people, it was horses. Her father had owned a stable growing up and she’d been riding nearly her entire life.

“Do we have your order to neutralise the creature?” Haken asked Jenny as he readied his tranquiliser gun.

“No!” She held up her hand. “It’s possible to capture the creature without force. We just can’t spook it or it will think we’re a threat.”

No sooner had she spoken than one of the men accidentally stepped on a nearby twig, creating a loud snap. The Propalaeothere froze as it perked its ears in alarm. It turned its head and once it saw them watching, it scampered away.

The team took off in pursuit, but even trained soldiers had difficulty keeping up with the quick little Propalaeothere. They chased the creature for several metres but eventually lost sight of it. Haken ordered his men to spread out and track it down.

After running for some time, Jenny and Sarah had to stop and catch their breaths. Jenny checked in with Haken to find out if they’d been able to locate the creature.

“It looks like it’s gone into the maze,” he reported.

Jenny and Sarah exchanged looks of exasperation. “Terrific,” Jenny muttered before they headed towards the maze.

\---

When they met Haken and his men at the maze entrance, the group strategised the best way to proceed. They decided to splinter off in opposite directions, with Haken, Jenny and Sarah going right as the other three went left.

“If it’s been stranded in the present for very long, it’s probably already found a hiding spot,” Sarah mused as they made their way around the winding labyrinth.

Jenny mulled over her comment. “If you were a creature, where would you go to hide from possible predators?” They both looked up at the spiraling entrance to the underground grotto.

Luckily Haken was a decent tracker, and after several twists and turns they finally reached the centre of the maze near the stone enclave that led down to the grotto. They turned on their torches as they descended the stairs.

It was as if they had entered another world. They were greeted by the sight of a fountain in the shape of a very large, frightening face. The ceiling was adorned in a swirl of black and white tiles, while the walls were covered with elaborate carvings of mythical beasts. Sarah couldn’t help but stop and admire them.

Jenny turned around and pointed her torch at her. “Sarah! Propalaeotherium, remember? ”

“Sorry,” she apologised as they continued, “but this is way better than being stuck in the lab researching.”

They slowly made their way through the grotto, shining their torches low for any signs of the creature. Haken stopped them abruptly when he heard a soft noise echoing through the tunnel. As they moved closer to the direction of the sound, Jenny spotted little hoof-like toes peeking out of a hole in the wall. The Propalaeothere had found a hollow space just barely big enough for it to squeeze under and hide.

“How are we going to get it to come out?” Sarah asked.

“Leave it to me,” Jenny said as she handed Sarah her torch. She slowly walked closer to the wall, crouching down so she could see the Propalaeothere. It had its head tucked beneath its front legs in fear. It opened its eyes to look at Jenny but didn’t move.

“It’s all right,” she said gently. “We won’t hurt you.”

It continued staring at her for a few moments before unfolding its hind legs to stand.

“That’s it,” she encouraged. “Come here.” She held out her hand.

The Propalaeothere hesitantly poked its head out before emerging completely from its hiding place. It inched closer and closer to Jenny, giving her one last look before finally nuzzling its nose in her palm.

Sarah watched in awe as Jenny interacted with the creature. “That’s amazing.”

Haken brought the topic back to the mission. “Now how are we going to get it back to the van?” he asked.

Sarah grinned. “I have an idea.”

\---

Sarah instructed Haken and the other soldiers to gather some berries and grapes from the castle vineyard. Since the Propalaeothere trusted Jenny, she would coax it to her with the fruit in her hand as a reward. She kept walking backwards further and further using the same method as they made their way through the maze. The creature was stubborn at times and didn’t want to go along, but Jenny’s persistence and the promise of food eventually convinced it to follow her.

It was nearly dark when they finally emerged out of the maze. The men had parked the containment van right outside of the entrance, laying down some leaves and grass to make a small nest for the creature in the back. Jenny walked up the ramp of the van, pleading with the Propalaeothere one more time. It trotted up the ramp to retrieve the berries out of her palm. She then dumped the remaining fruit in the van before hopping down and signaling the men to close the door.

Jenny phoned Lester to inform him that the castle was secure and they were heading back to the ARC with the creature. “Tell Abby to make room in the menagerie.”

Sarah approached her after she rang off. “You did a brilliant job today.”

Jenny smiled. “Thanks. So did you.” She made the right call in inviting Sarah along. The two of them were able to pool their knowledge together in order to locate and contain the creature peacefully. They made a good team.

As they looked out on the horizon, the setting sun created a beautiful backdrop for the castle. Jenny could understand why people thought the place was so romantic.

A yawn soon crept up on her. “I’m not looking forward to driving all the way back to the ARC,” she bemoaned. “All I want to do is kick off my shoes, put my feet up and pour myself the largest glass of wine.”

“You could come back to mine,” Sarah offered. Jenny turned to her, eyebrows raised in surprise. Sarah hastily added, “It’s just that my place is closer to the ARC than yours, so it wouldn’t be as long of a drive, and I’ve got a bottle of Merlot we could open.” Jenny noticed that she seemed nervous as she spoke.

When Jenny didn’t say anything in response, Sarah shook her head. “You know what, forget I said anything.”

“Actually,” Jenny finally answered, “that sounds lovely. Thank you.”

They exchanged smiles before Jenny dug the keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Sarah. “You’re driving.”

\---

It was late when they returned to the ARC. After ensuring the Propalaeothere was safely placed in the menagerie, Sarah and Jenny made the short drive to Sarah’s flat a few blocks away. Sarah invited Jenny to make herself comfortable on the sofa as she went over to the cupboard and retrieved the wine. She poured two glasses full before walking back over to the sofa. Jenny accepted her glass gratefully.

After sipping their wine in silence for a while, Sarah remarked, “I could get used to being out in the field. It’s kind of fun.”

“It’s not always like that,” Jenny warned. “Today was relatively tame. Some days aren’t so bad, but other days… I’m not sure how everyone makes it through in one piece.” She sighed. “But that’s the thing about this job: you don’t choose it, it chooses you.”

Jenny swirled the wine around in her glass, watching the light reflected in the dark liquid. She didn’t know if it was the wine or the exhaustion of the day’s events taking over, but she felt different than she had that morning. She was calmer, more at peace.

“Did you ever think about leaving?” Sarah asked. “You know, after everything that happened?”

Jenny looked at her ruefully. “The thought crossed my mind,” she admitted. “I didn’t think I could handle staying at the ARC with memories of Cutter haunting me around every corner, but now I’m starting to feel like I can learn to live with them.”

Sarah scooted closer to her on the sofa. “Well for the record, I’m glad you decided to stay.” She rested a hand on Jenny’s arm, smiling warmly. _She has a beautiful smile_ , Jenny thought, really noticing Sarah’s beauty for the first time since they’d met.

Perhaps there would always be ghosts from the past around to haunt her, but Jenny decided then that she wasn’t going to let them prevent her from exploring the possibilities of the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **lsellersfic** for the primeval_denial Secret Santa exchange 2013, using the prompt “ghosts.” This was not beta’d, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> 1\. [This](http://books.google.com/books?id=GKrACS_n86wC&lpg=PP1&dq=encyclopedia%20of%20folklore%20legend%20and%20myth&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=encyclopedia%20of%20folklore%20legend%20and%20myth&f=false) is the book that Sarah was reading.  
> 2\. The story of the Leeds black dog ghost was taken from [here](http://www.real-british-ghosts.com/haunted-castles.html#leedscastle), [here](http://great-castles.com/leedsghost.php) and [here](http://www.ghosts.org.uk/ghost/3214/sightings/animals/the-black-dog-of-leeds/leeds-castle.html). I’ve taken some liberties with the dog’s physical description.  
> 3\. The official website for Leeds Castle is [here](http://www.leeds-castle.com/home). I found a map of the castle grounds [here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardbyrom/42078465/), although I don’t know how recent it is.  
> 4\. Information about the Propalaeotherium came from [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Propalaeotherium), [here](http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/factfiles/factfiles/propalaeotherium.htm) and [here](http://walkingwithdinos.wikia.com/wiki/Propalaeotherium).  
> 5\. [Here](http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/23260825.jpg) is a view of the Leeds Castle maze from above. Descriptions of the maze and the grotto came from [here](http://www.london4seniors.com/html/maze___grotto.html). I’ve taken some liberties with the location of features within the grotto.


End file.
